The Rumour Mill: Sundin? Gaborik?

The recent injury to Daniel Alfredsson has underlined Ottawa's susceptibility to offensive fallout if one of the big three goes down with an injury. As a result, rumours have ramped up on that mythical 'top-six' forward the Sens need.

First name up is Mats Sundin, who apparently had a chat with Sens owner Eugene Melnyk while the Sens were in Sweden. He's also got the same agent as Alfredsson, so maybe there's a price break or something we can swing. Sportsnet has reported that Melnyk wants Sundin on the Sens. Really? Wow, that's surprising. I think there might be 30 teams in the league who want Sundin.

What would signing Sundin require? First of all, he'd want to return to the NHL. Then he'd have to decide to sign with his long-time team's arch-nemesis. Then he'd have to decide how much, somewhere in the range of $7-10M are the common estimates. Then the Sens would have to clear that cap space (they've got somewhere between $2.5-3M available now), something that wouldn't be easy. I don't know who the Sens would trade to dump it, because the only significant contracts the Sens could get rid of are Alfredsson, Dany Heatley, and Jason Spezza. I don't see those happening, and trading one top-six forward for another wouldn't help our depth too much.

The other names is Marian Gaborik. Would it be nice to have such an energetic, dynamic player on the Sens? Absolutely. Would it be likely? Not really. Even if Minnesota is really trying to trade him, which seems unlikely, they're not going to give him away for nothing. The Sens do have a first-round pick from the Andrej Meszaros trade, which is nice trade bait, but the Wild will need some scoring help in return. And Gaborik's cap hit is $6.3M, which isn't easy for the Sens to swallow, either.

It would be great to see either of Sundin or Gaborik (or both!) in a Senators' uniform by the end of the season, it doesn't seem very likely. Crazier things have happened in the world of Bryan Murray, though.

Sundin won't be a Senator (or anything but a Leaf)

According to TSN.ca, Mats Sundin has refused to waive his no-trade clause. And good for him. A no-trade clause isn't something a player earns just to waive when he's asked; it means that player has the ability to choose whether or not to be traded.

It would have been nice to have him on the Senators, don't get me wrong. Despite the fact that he's never won a Stanley Cup, Sundin is playing some amazing hockey right now. He would look great on a line with Daniel Alfredsson, and if Peter Forsberg hasn't actually thrown in the towel on a return to the NHL we'd have one hell of a Swedish contingent on this team.

Leafs fans can take this one of two ways. They can see the fact that this player chose to stay in their city and play for a shitty team that once again won't win the Stanley Cup instead of accepting a trade to a contending team and maybe win a Cup. Or they can see it as a selfish move by Sundin to avoid a couple months of adjustment for the franchise's long-term gain. Personally, I think they should take it the first way; he's just a team guy.

Fans in Sens Army had a similar scenario when Wade Redden refused to waive his no-trade clause. The difference is that while Sundin is having a great year, Redden is having a forgettable one. Which makes it a lot easier for fans to rag on a guy who has given a lot back to his community, and has given all he has to the team for his entire career.

Franchise players are hard to find. The Senators are lucky to have players like Redden, Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Mike Fisher willing to play their whole careers in this city. And the Leafs, much as I hate to say it, are lucky to have Sundin--it's a lot harder to commit to a losing team than it is to a winning one.

The Rumour Mill: The Hockey News weighs in

Now, it's true that I've given my fair share of criticisms to The Hockey News, but the most recent issue (Vol. 61, No. 18, Feb. 12, 2008) has explored the possibilities of the upcoming trade deadline, and I'm going to go ahead and explore them because they involve Ottawa acquiring Marian Hossa and Darcy Tucker, two players who could be valuable additions to a playoff run.

Let's start with the biggest name: Hossa. THN has Antoine Vermette and Patrick Eaves going to Atlanta in this deal, but I think that might be a pretty high price for someone who will likely only be a rent-a-player due to cap restrictions. Perhaps one of those names in combination with a higher-round draft pick or a key prospect, such as Alexander Nikulin, it's a possibility. The prospect of complementing our already stacked offence (at least when we're not riddled with injury) makes me seriously consider Vermette and Eaves, though. I think Hossa would fit nicely alongside Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, and a second line could include either Vermette or Eaves--whoever isn't involved in the deal--with Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher.

That takes us to the Tucker acquisition. Most Sens fans hate the Mother Tucker, but I've come around a bit. I hate Gary Roberts waaaaay more, although that may have something to do with the Pittsburgh series last year. Going towards the Leafs would be Ilya Zubov, which seems like a reasonable price to pay. Tucker would be a nice complement to a third line with Chris Neil and possibly Dean McAmmond, a speedy line with grit and some offensive upside. The only possible problem is that Tucker has three more years at $3M each, which might be tough for GM Bryan Murray to swallow.

And some of the trades that other teams are rumoured to be taking part in.

The biggest deal of the deadline: Mats Sundin to Vancouver for Ryan Kesler, Alex Edler, and a conditional first-round pick. Which seems like a price the Sens could match, if the interest is there--which it has to be, considering Sundin's value. One of Vermette, Eaves, or Chris Kelly plus Brian Lee and a conditional first-round pick. An established player, a better-than-average defensive prospect, and a first-rounder if we make it to the finals. Plus Kelly is a Toronto native, so there you go. It seems like a high price, and if Sundin is just going to sign back in T.O. afterwards it might be, but if the Sens can talk him into a three-year, $12M deal to play with Alfie--a pipe dream, I know--then it might be worth it.

On defence, there's L.A.'s Rob Blake going to San Jose in exchange for Lukas Kaspar. Kaspar is a decently sized left-wing prospect, but this deal seems like a steal for the Sharks. If the last few games are any indication, the Sens need defensive help. Desperately. While I may be biased, I think Sens LW prospect Nick Foligno is a stronger asset that Kaspar, and could command a pretty penny if the team were to trade him--but I don't want to. Instead, the idea of trading Josh Hennessy and possibly another asset, such as C Igor Mirnov or LW Shawn Weller, the possibility of having a top-four D corps of Anton Volchenkov, Chris Phillips, Andrej Meszaros, and Rob Blake with Joe Corvo and Wade Redden as powerplay specialists makes me drool.

And while goaltending is probably a section of the roster that will stay as it is for this season, one thing seems certain for 2008-09: Either Ray Emery or Martin Gerber will no longer play for the Ottawa Senators. Both parties have requested the starter's position, or to be traded. Which means this team will likely need a backup for next season. And why not pick one up now, in case the injury bug gets to the Sens' crease. Apparently--according to THN, of course--Dan Ellis of the Predators is only worth a second-round pick, and that seems a pretty reasonable price to pay for a solid backup who won't raise a stink if he doesn't get a chance at starting.

But let's be realistic. This article was fun to write, and I hope it was fun to read (and comment on; let us know who you think the Sens need), it's completely speculative. And probably completely unrealistic. But it's better than writing about another Sens loss or another fight in practice.

Is Mats Sundin The Result of a Failed Experiment?

To follow up on a comment by Ben...

Quote: "Leafs suck.

...and I still believe that Mats Sundin is the ugliest man in the NHL."

Some of my housemates here in Kingston, Leafs fans included, are firm believers that a few years ago a mad Swedish doctors took a almost newborn child and, through a new form of genetic enhancement, stretched them by 6 feet vertically and 3 feet horizontally. Upon completion of the experiment the doctor mistakenly typed the child's name, formerly "Matt", as Mats on the new birth certificate (making the child not only have a ridiculous name but also 36 years older at the same time).

Can you see the resemblances... the baby teeth, the cheeks, the emotionless stare, the hair... oh the hair...